Brazil breaks beef export record

Brazil ended 2025 with its best-ever beef export figures, registering shipments of 3.85 million tons, up 20.7% from 2024 , according to official data released on January 23 by the Brazilian Meat Processors Association (Abrafrigo).

According to the Secretariat of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, the sector's revenue increased by nearly 40% year-on-year to reach $18.365 billion, including raw and industrial meat products, edible offal and other by-products in the production chain.

For a company located in Curitiba, the capital of the southern state of Paraná, this result reflects structural changes in the product's foreign trade profile.

“Beef has moved beyond being a volume-based commodity exported to less demanding markets and has become a significant source of foreign exchange earnings serving the most sophisticated markets in the face of profound changes in global trade,” Abrafrigo said in a statement.

In 2025, beef consolidated its position as the second most important product in the agricultural export segment and the fourth in the overall structure of Brazilian exports, behind only oil , soybeans and iron ore.

Natural beef , which accounted for 90% of the industry's exports, generated 42.3% more revenue than in 2024, with export volume reaching 3.08 million tonnes, up 21.12% from the previous year.

In 2025, Brazil exported beef to 177 countries, with China being the main market , accounting for 48.2% of the sector's total, with purchases amounting to $8.845 billion, an increase of 47.75% compared to 2024.

The top 10 Brazilian beef export destinations account for 83.8% of total revenue, indicating a high concentration of trade, according to Abrafrigo.

The United States was the second-largest destination, accounting for 11.24% of purchases worth $2.064 billion, up 25.9% from 2024 despite the impact of additional tariffs imposed by the US government between August and October 2025.